"Transmigration? But this feels like my body... except for the hair colour. and I was a child soldier, in the Imperial Army." She checks inside her shirt. There's a lot of scars missing from the time Schugel blew her up. "Huh... No scars. Guess that sanctimonious prick is fine killing whoever was in here before I was." At least she didn't have to go through being a baby again, that was so humiliating. 

"My magic did feel wrong..." Instead of an enhancement spell, she tries just pushing magic to an extremity, like her finger, just in case it goes wrong. The air around her fingertip crackles as little bits of sweat ignite. She can feel the reaction as the hydrogen is split off and burns. She focuses and a little constant flame pops up. "Well. I'd rather have my normal magic, but better than nothing."

"I don't have any wierd words in my vision, or anything videogame like at all, except for the zombie in the gas station. Why would we have different powers." This is strange even for Being X.

"You were a child soldier? What kind of horrible Earth were you from? My freckles are all the same."

Her magic is cool. Too bad it sounds like it takes horrible burns to unlock.

"Hold on, you had magic before too?"

Now that they have a moment of safety, the questions are all coming out. 

“My first Isekai was to an earth where the first world war happened a little later than on our earth. I fought for the Reich because I had no other options to get a career as an orphan. This version of Germany united under pan germanic ideals with Austria earlier on and was a little more inclusive than the one we knew from history class. Also magic was a studied science and I was an aerial mage. Mostly mages were used for artillery spotting and Air support. The only branch that allowed child recruits was the mage corps.” She says disinterestedly, as if this was a normal everyday thing to explain. 

She is ruffling through various containers hoping for something metal and long for Joon to wield.

This room is more of a waiting room than a work area, but there is an old fashioned lug wrench that looks suitable. 

Before she can hand it over, the door to the machine shop in the back slams open. Behind it, a striking red-headed woman is pointing a strange boxy gun at both of them.

"Don't move."

Well who is she pointing at right this second? If the barrel isn’t centred on Tanya she will throw the Lug wrench at the new threat and dive for cover. Otherwise she does not move and swears. “Sheisse”

Tanya's recounting of her military experience has unfortunately made her the primary threat in this newcomer's assessment.

"Each of you name some features of Earth. Something anyone would know. Something that you haven't mentioned, because it would be too obvious to do so."

“America exists? Antartica is ice covered. Russia is the biggest country.” If this is ANOTHER Isekai she will be so annoyed at how unoriginal Being X is, how many people has he done this to??? “Are you also from earth?”

"Uh... There's a north pole that's frozen too? Seven continents and five oceans with how they're usually counted?"

Why is he being quizzed on geography by the most beautiful woman he's ever seen in his entire life.

"I overheard your conversation. First, what afflicts you is a known phenomenon, it's called the dream-that-skewers. The Athenaeum of Speculation and Scrutiny studies it. Once we get out of here, they can help you."

(Quest Accepted! Straddling Worlds!)

"Second, please stop using that term for the umbral undead."

“Help me how. Finding employment and an education on local matters? Or to ‘cure’ me to bring back the person who used to inhabit this body. I’d rather not die again, thanks.” One death was already enough. Or maybe twice? Did she die again to get here?

Also she does not trust this person who is still threatening them with some kind of gun. Joon is part of the victims of Being X club. She trusts him well enough for now, but definitely she does not trust random locals.

"The former. The latter is impossible to my knowledge, and if you are a fire mage you won't lack for job opportunities."

She lowers the gun halfway, retreats a step back through the doorframe, and rolls a glass jar and a spike out into their room.

"If we're to escape, we need damned souls to power our way out, at least seven of them. The runes on the spike will draw the soul out of a body that died in the last half-hour, and the jar will store them so they don't dissipate while it's sealed. Trust me, it's a mercy."

"Destroy the heart before three minutes pass, or they'll rise as another of the undead."

"You can call me Cypress. You have questions, I'm sure, and when we're somewhere safe you can have answers. Is there anything you need to know now, if we're to work together?"

“Other than a nebulous promise of future help once we get out of here, and a Question and Answer session. Is there a reason we should help you with… soul collecting. Rather than go our own way in an undead apocalypse? I don’t have much reason to trust you not to shoot me after I come back with your souls either.” Tanya has basically forgotten Joon is his own person, she has already mentally categorised him as a subordinate or minion.

(And since she does get rather protective of her minions, loyalty will go up a tick.)

(Joon is paying close attention to the Companions & Loyalty screen right now.)

"This town has been picked clean by successive Trials, and that means an escape on foot is highly unlikely. To stand a chance, you'd need a vehicle and combat-effective weapons." The machete and lug wrench do not seem to qualify in her eyes. "Bring me the souls, and you'll have them."

She flips her strange pistol around to offer it, as though offering a handshake. 

"Do we have a deal?"

“Bribing me with guns is an excellent start to a relationship. Deal.” She takes it with a smile and holds it with practised ease, sighting it in front of her (and pointed firmly away from anyone with her finger off the trigger, gun safety matters). “So how does this work? Range? Recoil? Ammo? Safety?” She doesn’t see any of the normal gun parts other than sharing the general shape as a gun and having a trigger. And Tanya has trained with even the strangest of firearm designs. For her to be lost when holding a gun this, this has to be some real freaky otherworld design based on alien principles. There are only so many ways you could design a bullet thrower and this resembles none of them.

This is someone she can work with.

"The trigger is part of the handle. Squeeze it and an electric charge will activate the void crystal, directed by the barrel. That erases all matter in front of it until the void effect is exhausted based on the mass removed, after around three hundred feet in air or less than an inch of metal. No recoil, no ammunition, cycling time of approximately seven seconds, and there weren't enough parts here to make a safety in the time since landing."

“The range and rate of fire is less than ideal… but no ammo concerns is a big plus.” She taps her chin. “I might have an idea for a backup… do not be alarmed.”

She focuses her new magic on her fingertip again. Instead of a steady flame can she do a big pop, cause a small explosion that expands air?

BANG!

That worked. She can also feel that that worked really well through her power. She could direct that explosion to expand even more if she wanted to. She can essentially cause her own gunpowder explosion on command. “All I need now is a rifle barrel and something for ammo. You wouldn't happen to have any ball bearings? Conveniently rifle barrel sized pipes?”

"An unconventional use of fire magic, but that could work. Give me a moment."

She returns with a couple of sizes of pipe. In the absence of ball bearings Cypress offers a pouch of nuts and bolts, plus some oilcloth for wadding.

"Not ideal, I know."

"Can I have the pistol if you're not using it?"

“The pipe was meant to be the backup gun… but I suppose if it’s just against zo- undead you should get the practice in. I can keep the pipe and the machete for if some get close.” She tosses him the pistol. “The void gun is silent right?” She asks Cypress.  

“The discount musket blunderbuss will draw the dead like crazy. I’ve seen them react to much less noise. It’s an emergency backup thing. If we are in real danger I want the real gun back. I’ve been shooting since I was 8.”